The invention concerns a building element for a building set, said element comprising a plurality of contiguous module units, at least some of which have a coupling stud protruding co-axially with a central axis of the module unit so that the mutual centre-to-centre distance of the coupling studs is equal to a multiple of the module measure, said element further comprising complementary coupling means for cooperation with coupling studs on an adjacent element for coupling the elements together mechanically in a plurality of possible mutual angular positions, said element having a first current path connected to first contact areas designed to establish electrical connection with first contact areas in an adjacent element, said element also having a second current path electrically insulated from the first current path and connected to second contact areas designed to establish electrical connection with second contact areas in an adjacent element.
For example the Swiss Patent Specification No. 455 606 discloses a toy building set, whose building blocks are provided with conductive areas for conduction of electric current when the building elements are coupled together. This conduction, however, just concerns unipolar current, but it is known in principle from the German Offenlegungsschrift No. 25 52 587 that a building block may contain several current paths, where, of course, short circuiting between these current paths is to be avoided. How the short circuiting is to be avoided in practice, however, is not known.
The object of the invention is to provide a building element of the present type where the contact areas for the current paths are so positioned as to provide, on one hand, security against short circuiting and, on the other, such location of the contact areas as allows the element to be manufactured fully automatically in a very rapid and inexpensive manner.